It can be hard sometimes to live up the the ‘travel standard’ set on social media. All you see is people travelling the world – and looking bloody fantastic while they do it.
I’ve never been one of those girls that takes 5 hours in the bathroom just to go grocery shopping – nup 5-10 minutes tops usually for me. But there does come a time when travelling that you want or need to look nice. Not just some humidity haired, no makeup, “yeah this shirt smells clean enough” mess. A girls weekend getaway, a special occasion – your honeymoon perhaps. You want to have some cute travel clothes that are a little dressier than just a selection of 15 different coloured sarongs in your bag.
I knew that we would be travelling to Bali soon – and staying in a few really nice resorts too. Bali is the land of the pool villa after all! But I seriously had no cute travel outfits that would suit tropical weather. Actually I had no cute travel outfits at all…..
If you follow this blog a bit you’d know that we are minimalist travellers – that’s right! We have a 44 litre backpack each and that’s all we travel with. No luggage costs, no waiting for your bags at the terminal and most importantly no chance of having your bags lost by the airline.
So with that in mind as well here’s the key things I was looking for:
Cute Travel Outfits – My must have checklist
1. It makes me feel pretty!!!
After years of backpacking and looking like a bit of a miss matched hobo, I was really wanting to spruce up my wardrobe. Seriously look at what I’m wearing here in Switzerland – blerk!
2. Be Lightweight and Airy
The less it weighs the more I can fit in my backpack. yaaaay more clothes for me! Plus lightweight fabric means you hopefully won’t just drench your cute travel outfit in sweat the second you leave your hotel room.
3. It needs to be able to dry reasonably quickly.
I tried out one of those versatile dresses one time and although the idea is amazing – it just took too long to dry and in a tropical country, things can end up smelly real fast! Fast drying is a must.
4. Something that will last
Not just something that will last a few months and I’ll just have to throw it out and start the search again. Something well made that will hold it together over time.
5. Something that gives back – ethical fashion!
We are such a consumerist world I just felt like I want to make more ethical fashion choices. Something that makes me feel like I’m doing something good for the world with the purchases I make.
6. Something that is flattering
I’m a curvy gal and typical travel clothing can be very unflattering. Which leads me back to number 1 again – something that makes me feel pretty!
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Surprisingly it wasn’t easy to find.
I googled “women’s travel clothing hot climates” and I found myself very uninspired.
I also found myself in a tricky place age wise. I’m not in my 20’s so I’m not interested in denim short shorts and singlets, but I’m also not 50+ and wanting to live in a world of khaki zip off pants. Please can someone save the travel world from beige and bloody khaki!!! (plus I’d like to point out that 4 of the images below are actually of men’s pants – so that’s helpful – NOT)
Bland, bland bland!
I reached out to my girlfriends on Facebook and Twitter and asked them….And to be honest most say they just buy clothing from H&M & Primark because they are cheap and replaceable. There’s no drama with throwing away an item after a couple of months when it’s fully worn out, because it was super cheap anyway. This does not help no. 4 on my list of must have’s and certainly doesn’t fit the ethical fashion category – so I kept looking.
Now, I can’t tell you how I finally came across this website (but I can tell you it was after searching through a LOT of different clothing websites) but when I landed on Misha Mendicino Designs, I just said YES! This is what I’m looking for.
Now let’s look over that cute travel outfits list of mine one more time…..
Are the clothes pretty? YES! I have to say Tommo’s face lit up when I modelled the outfits for him
(it honestly might have been quite some time since anyone had actually seen my knees in public – raunchy I know!)
Lightweight? The clothes are light and breathe! The dresses are also fantastic for just throwing on over the top of swimwear and heading out to a beach dinner.
Dries Quickly? Surprisingly quick thanks to the light nature of the fabric. Just hang them up on a coat hanger and they’ll be dry in no time.
Something lasting? These’s outfits are quality made. I’ve had them for 5 months now (July 2016) and their colour and fit are just as good as the day I got them.
Gives something back? This is probably the part I love the most – it’s ethical fashion!!!
Each and every sale that Misha makes 5% of it goes to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to secure a future for our Elephants. These include Anti-Poaching, safeguarding the natural environment, enhancing community awareness, addressing animal welfare issues, providing veterinary assistance to animals in need, rescuing and hand-rearing elephant and rhino orphans, along with other species that can ultimately enjoy a quality of life in the wild.
What can be better than knowing that not only will you look fabulous on holiday – but you are also helping save our precious elephants at the same time? Let’s all agree to stop wearing sweat-shop produced throw-away clothing and put our money into a worthwhile cause! Ethical fashion – is the way of the future!
How could you not want to help these beautiful creatures – and look great at the same time (obviously I am NOT wearing one of Misha’s designs LOL)
– Something flattering? Not once have I gone out and not felt great in one of these outfits. They are flattering, comfortable, easy to move about in and can be dressed up or down depending on your vacation style needs.
So obviously I love these cute travel outfits, but not everything in this world can be perfect – in order for them to last you need to take care of them. So ideally you need to hand wash them in cold water. For all the lazy gals out there like me – I have been known to throw them in the washing machine on the delicate cycle and they are still fine (however Misha may have a heart attack about that one – sorry Misha).
Due to the nature of the fabric they can crumple if rolled in your luggage. Easy solution though, just remember to pull them out and hang them up as soon as you arrive at your destination and the creases will fall right out. Some resorts also have iron or offer pressing for a small fee so you can always get rid of any creases if you’re really obsessed about it.
As a gal who travels full time – I am loving Misha’s designs. I get so many compliments when I’m wearing them.
And who doesn’t love that!
If you are a gal going on a short getaway – I can’t see how you could NOT love them!
I have been rocking the Bali scene in style for the last month – looking great – posing for photos – feeling confident – bright – and most importantly pretty. So here’s to my year of not being a schlub. And here’s to all of you ladies out there – no matter what your shape or size – feeling pretty while you’re on holiday too!
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What’s your favourite Ethical Fashion Travel clothes? Let us know in the comments.
Disclaimer – I did receive the clothes from Misha Mendicino Designs complimentary but I love love love her designs and I’m happy to shout it from the rooftops. All opinions remain my own.
